The DunBroch Horror
by TheEmeraldArcher
Summary: The kingdom of DunBroch is preparing for all Hallows Evening, nothing seems out of place beween the cheers and seasonal happines. But something dark and wicked lurks in the heart of the castle, thristy for royal blood. Can Merida and the young lords stop it before they become their next victims?
1. Chapter 1

It was a dark, moonless night. The only light came from the windows of the castle as everyone inside prepared for the festival of All Hallows Evening. Reading for the begining of winter men carried wood and food outside as a preparation for the massive bonfire and maidens walked around holding turnip lanterns; laughs and happy conversations could be heard coming from every corner of the stone fortress.

Suddendly the night was pierced by an eerie cry, it sounded like a woman in terrible pain or the moan of an owl; a souless, godless whail that froze every heart and made the bravest tremble, the conversation and song died as everyone looked up from their chores, somewhere a woman dropped the lantern she was about to hang from a wall. Because eveyone knew that today the gates of the world of the spirits were wide open and such a scream could only belong to one being.

The unearthly whail climbed the stone walls until it reached the room where the queen and her young daughter were playing.

Merida was eight now and no longer did the sound of thunder make her scramble for her mother´s dress, but this? This scream made her blood run cold and sent a chill up her spine; she looked towards her mother with terror reflecting of her shiny blue eyes.

-Mum? Wot is that?-

The queen leaned forward and caressed her daughters fiery hair, the same color of the flame that now burned in the fireplace and proyected light over her benevolent face.

She picked up her daughter and pulled her closer .

-Ae don´t know if Ae should tell ye my wee bonnie lass- she said -ye will have nightmares later-

The princess quickly objected to this -Nae Ae won´t! Ae am very brave!-

-Indeed my Mhaighdean Bhan- The queen smiled - Well, where shall Ae begin?- The queen leaned backwards, making herself more confortable -Ye see, that sound is the voice of the most wicked of spirits, the Baoban Sith-

Merida looked at her mother, amazed -And wot is a Baoban Sith?-

-Ae am getting tae that lass- her mother answered and cleared her throat before continuing - Long ago...- She began using the same voice she always did when telling a story

-There were two brothers who wished tae be married, but they were very ugly and no maiden would accept them as husbands-

The princess cringed a bit, she still couldn´t understand this whole marriage thing.

-Et was All Hallows Evening just like tonight and two wicked spirits heard the brothers long for wives, so they took the form of beautiful lasses and went tae meet them. The brothers didn´t suspect a thing and the second they let their guard down the wicked beings revealed their true shapes. Their skin became withered and dry, their eyes glassy orbs of blackness and their teeth enourmous fangs...-

Merida pulled her mother´s dress up, covering her nose in fear.

-Their nails became claws and with a single bite- The queen pretended to bite Merida, causing her to squeal -They killed one of the brothers and drank his blood-

The princess was shivering, mabe she wasn´t so brave after all.

-The other ran and tried tae scape in his horse but those ghosts were swift as the wind and quickly catched up with him...-

-Did they get him?- Merida was now so deep under the emerald dress that only her eyes were visible.

-Nae lass, ye see; horshoes are made of iron, bane of all wicked things. The spirits circled around him but couldn´t get him as long as he remained on his mount. Dawn finally came and with et´s first light the monsters disspaeared intae the forest, their powers lost.-

-Were they gone?- The princess asked with a frightened whisper.

-Alas, not forever. Every year, exactly on the same date, they return tae drink the blood of the innocent-

The redhead squealed and hugged her mother tightly.

-Don´t ye worry Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal. Ye aresafe and sound here with me- the queen pulled her daughter away from the hug and looked her straight in the eye -Besides the Baobhan Sith does not attack little girls-

Suddendly a creak came from the other side of the room, it was the door opening.

-Big, strong lads like yer father on the other hand...-

Merida looked behind, the hulking figure of her father was peeking from the hallway.

-Da!- Merida rushed to him and hugged his leg, only to be picked up and put to bed. -Mum was telling me a scary story!- She called, now neatly tucked under the sheets.

-Ye where, uh Elinor?- The king laughed -Well, no more stories tonight lass we must go greet the lords-

King and Queen began to walk to the hallway -Wot story was et Elinor?- Fergus asked his wife.

-The legend of the Baobhan Sith- the queen answered simply.

All color drained from the kings face, it was obvious; even for his daughter, that he was afraid.

-Fergus? Are ye alright?-

Quickly recovering the king answered -Aye, aye. Ae am fine, let´s go Elinor, the bonfire is about tae begin-

Before he closed the door the king said goodbye to her daughter -Sleep tight my wee babby-

-Ae am not a babby!- The princess protested.

Her mother leaned forward and gave her a good night kiss.

-Mom?- the little girl asked with a doubtful voice -Will Da be alright?-

The queen understood she was still talking about the story and did her best to calm her down.

-Of course she will my wee lass, he is big and strong and brave. Now don´t trouble yerself further with those thoughts-

The queen followed her husband outside -Good night my Mhaighdean Bhan- and with that she closed the door and Merida drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Merida, her mother and father were celebrating her sixth birthday. The sunlight shone brightly and the princess had just recieved her first bow when something stepped from the woods, it wasn´t a gigantic demon bear but something far more menacing.

A woman, white as chalk and dressed in ragged clothin of the same color, all in her was white except for the lifeless pits that were her eyes and the terrible chasm that was her mouth. It screamed -SCREEEEEECH!-

Suddendly the day shifted to night without apparent reason, her father and other men rushed forward to protect her. The figure dispatched the royal bodyguard quickly using her razor sharp claws, leaving only terrible marks on their faces and chests; seeing this her mother told her to hide under the table and Fergus attacked the figure on his own.

With a swift movement his leg was gone, relaced by a bloody stump. The king fell and lyed there helpless as the Baobhan Sith glided towards her mother, Merida could only watch the lower parts of both women from under the table but his father was crawling towards her; even crippled he tried to protect her.

Then her father yelled a powerful -NOOOOOOO!- Merida couldn´t understad why until her mother´s head fell besides her, her mouth open in horror and surpise; and the rest of her body toppled in the oposite direction

Merida then began to cry softly and crawl backwards when the ghoul reached under the table and picked her up, taking her neck closer to her fangs...

Merida woke up with a scream tearing up her throat like she had done at first every single night, now only on All Hallows Evening; for eight years straight. She hadn´t even gone to sleep, it had only been a small a nap and yet the nightmare had come; always the same nightmare...

-Merida?- Her mother´s voice came from the other side of the wooden door. That and the last rays of sunlight coming through the window conforted her.

The queen opened the door and stepped inside -Are ye alright?-

Merida shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts and sat up on her bed -Just a nightmare mum, ye know et always happens today-

Elinor got closer -Will ye be alright?-

-Aye-

The queen knew her daughter was strong and old enough to deal with her nightmares so she changed the subject quickly -Ae just came ta ask ye if ye would be attending the festival-

Merida whined -Mum every year et is the same, the clans get together, Da tries tae give a speech and ye end up talking for him, we toss some animals and plants intae a bonfire, the lords tell some ghost stories- she sighed and let herself fall back on bed -Nae, Ae am sure Ae can find plenty of things tae do here in the castle-

Truthfuly was Merida was really fond of All Hallows Evening but the mere thought of meeting her former suitors after what had happeed made her want to scream.

Elnior wouldn´t give up so easily -But this year yer brothers will be guising for the first time, et will be quite an experience- As if on cue the triplets appeared from behind the door, painted completly in blue and covered in animal bones. It was traditions for the Highlanders to guise themselves as ghouls so the real demons wouldn´t attack them.

-They don´t need a costume tae look like wee devils- Merida replied pinching Hubert´s cheek -Ae am sure they will manage without me-

Finally giving in the her mother sighed -As ye wish Merida but mind yerself, ye will be the only one left inside; even Maudie will be in the festival- Her mother and the triplets began to head outside when the king stepped into the room. He was clutching a sword unlike anyone Merida had ever seen and smiling broadly.

-Umm? Fergus?- the queen inquired -Ye are not supposed tae carry weapons during All´Hallow E'en-

Still smiling the king answered -Ae know mae love, this one is fer Merida-

The words had barely left her father´s mouth when the princess was all over the sword, admiring it´s every detail. She had never owned a sword per se, of course those in the castle were always available but this one would be the first she could really call hers; like her bow had been.

-Et´s beautiful Da- The pommel was typical, but the quatrefoil guard had three branches and the grip was slightly curved and made of walrus tusk ivory, and it was so light!

-Finest iron in the kingdom, lighter than copper ye see?- her father asked proudly.

-Ae noticed, but why Da?-

-Well ye really haven´t had any birthday presents save for Angus and yer old bow so Ae figured that...- Fergus stopped explaining when he noticed his wife was glaing at him. -Wot?-

Elinor sighed -Ye know how Ae feel about Merida having weapons-

-But MUM!- the princess argued -Ae thought after...- she began to recall the enchanted cake incident but her mother made her stop holding her outstreched palm in front of her and pressing her own nosebridge with the other.

-Ae know, Ae know. We will talk about this later, now we must hurry- And with that, Fergus, Elinor and the triplets left the room and headed for the clearing behind the castle, leaving Merida alone.

The princess remained on bed for what seemed like hours, just observing her brand new sword. But eventually boredom got the better of her.

-Well at least Ae don´t have tae be outside with the lords and their sons- she thought. Her stomach churning brought her back to reality, maybe she could sneak downstairs to the kitchen and grab an apple.

She opened the door and stepped outside, the hallways was dark and the floorboards creaked with every step. The chilly air prickled at her skin, reminding her she was completely alone and of how nice the nightly breeze would be. Once she had reached the kitchen and taken a big bite out of a red, juicy apple Merida looked at the wooden door that lead outside.

-Well maybe a wee bit of festival won´t kill me out of shame- She pulled but the door remained firmly in place -Locked? That´s weird-

Shrugging she pushed the thought out of her head and began climbing the stairs back up when she heard it. The same scream she heard every year in her dreams.

After so many years Merida thought she had grown used to it but now her eyes grew wide, her heart began beating so fast she thought it would burst and cold sweat ran down her forehead; because now she was awake and to make matters worse the scream had come from within the castle...


	3. Chapter 3

That yell echoed again, the screech that sent chills down the bravest spines. Merida was tense, she struggled with opposite desires. First there was the urge to run upstairs and hide under the blankets, praying to Saint Andrew she was dreaming again.

-No! That´s wot any other princess would do! - She scolded herself –Certainly not one who has climbed the crowns tooth and drank of the fire falls and battled Mor´du-

Gathering courage she waited for the unearthly wail to be heard again, it came and Merida gasped a bit. She couldn´t pinpoint the source of the sound.

-Et seems tae be coming from below the castle-

The sewers her mother and she had used to get in while she was bear! They had walked along long lines of damp and dark corridors together.

-One of those led tae the kitchen, but where? - She thought.

Taking a leaf out of her brother´s book she began tapping on the walls with her knuckles, inch by inch and pressing her ear against the cold stone. She went around the whole room like this and stopped in frustration, none of the walls was hollow.

-Think Merida, then the corridor must be BEHIND something. Wot´s big enough tae hide a secret passage?-

Her eyes fell on a large cupboard on the far side of the room; she walked towards it and began pushing. She had barely moved it a few inches when a wave of rotting sewer stench forced her to look away, fighting the overwhelming desire to gag.

She shook her head trying to get the smell out of her nose and continued pushing, still holding her breath.

What she saw made her do a double take. It was a staircase the led straight down, further than she could see.

The princess grabbed a torch from a nearby wall and prepared to walk down.

-Here goes nothing- She placed her foot on the first rung, the stone was slippery, she had to be careful on her way down.

Merida began walking, down and down into the darkness and the unbearable stench and the unknown threat of whatever produced that scream.

She gulped, it seemed like she had been walking down for hours but she knew it couldn´t have been more than a few minutes.

-How long is this thing anyway? Ae will grow old before Ae reach the bottom- Besides in the time she had been walking she hadn´t heard another sound, what if whatever it was had already been gone for a long, long time?

-SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!-

Merida wasn´t ready for that, she covered her ears in pain, tensing every muscle in her body. The stone was wet, she tripped, she fell…

-WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!- The princess screamed as she fell, clawing madly to regain her balance, every time she bounced on the steps the air escaped her lungs, nothing made sense; the world was a dark hole of spinning madness.

Finally she felt a final, powerful blow as she reached the bottom, it was an irregular stone floor covered by several inches of water, she was sore and wet, and there was a deep cut on her forehead but at least she was alive.

She rose up from her knees and cried in disgust, the stinking water was all over her dress and hair; she twisted both to squeeze the foul liquid out.

The princess could barely see an inch in front of her nose, only a faint yellow glitter came from the kitchen above while the smallest traces of moonlight came in through the entrances of the tunnels. Where was the torch?

Merida reached down but the light had gone out when it fell into the water, leaving only the useless wood handle behind.

She walked slowly, each step made a soft splashing sound in the darkness that grew as she went farther away from the staircase; with each breath the rotten air filled her lungs.

Every time she turned a corner she had to silence this little voice in the back of her head that chanted endlessly –Ye shouldn´t be here, go back, you shouldn't be here…-

The scream came once more echoing in the claustrophobic hallway but this time Merida barely flinched, her curiosity overwhelming any other sense, even fear and pain.

-Hello? - She called, but there was no answer other than her own voice bouncing back at her from the stone.

Her eyes still weren´t completely used to the dark but she could barely make out a darker outline against a wall, was it a door?

She reached forward for the knob when she heard it, she thought it was her imagination at first but there was no mistaking the sound now.

-Splash…splash…splash-

Her breathing got faster; the splashing was methodical, calculated at regular intervals, almost like...footsteps.

-Who goes there?-

No answer but the splashes coming closer.

-Is anyone out there? - She asked trying to conceal her fear –Show yerself!-

Silence, if she had at least brought her sword. The splashing was just around the corner when Merida´s fear overtook her, she ran blindly in the darkness; trying to find her way back up but she had turned too many corners, wandered too many dark, identical corridors.

-Did Ae come this way? Did Ae?-

Every stride she gave sent putrid water against her face, clouding her vision; she swiped her face with a hand to clear it off and ran face first into a wall.

Merida rested in the foul liquid looking at the dark ceiling where white dots appeared and vanished, aftermath of the blow no doubt.

Her mouth tasted like blood, she passed her hand over her lips to find out that a great deal of the substance poured from her nose.

At least she was safe now, she thought getting back up.

-Whoever´s chasing me they are far behind-

-Wot makes ye think et is a "who"? - The same voice in the back of her head asked.

-Shut et- she answered herself –Ae am battered, wet, dirty but at least Ae am safe-

-SPLASH! - The footsteps came again.

-Or not…- Anger now replaced fear, who or what was pursuing her like this? What did it wanted? She wouldn´t run again, not until she had those answers.

-Whaur ar ye! - She shouted into the darkness.

-Here- A voice whispered into her ear as a strong hand gripped her shoulder from behind.


	4. Chapter 4

Merida reacted as quickly as she could, she seized her attackers arm and pulled forward over her back, whoever (or whatever) was attacking her, wasn´t that heavy.

She heard a heavy –SPLASH! - As the mysterious figure landed on the water bellow and kneeled forward with her right fist at the ready.

-Princess! Don´t! Please! - She heard a voice call her and then she came back to her senses, everything seemed clearer now, the lightheadedness that had overcome her began to disappear; her heart rate relaxed. The figure landing at her feet was nothing other than…

-Macintosh? Wot are ye doing here? - The young lord was covering his face with outstretched palms to block an attack that never came, he peeked from under his hands and once he realized the danger was over he reacted.

Merida offered a helping hand which he took and stood up grunting.

-We came looking fer ye princess- he explained; now back on his feet and brushing the water of his kilt and squeezing his hair with a face of pure disgust.

-A'm sairy! Ye startled me and Ae thought that…- Merida began to explain but stopped dead in her tracks –Wot do ye mean "we"?-

-Ae- young Macintosh answered –The others are here too- He tilted his head towards the nearest corner, where wee Dingwall and young McGuffin were exchanging little giggles, no doubt amused to see their friend manhandled so easily. When they noticed the princess was staring at them they controlled themselves and exchanged glances with the redhead.

Young McGuffin kept staring at the floor, then back at Merida as if unsure of what to do next and wee Dingwall seemed completely uninterested on what was happening.

The Macintosh firstborn cleared his throat to catch Merida´s attention –Yer mother send us tae fetch ye, she thought ye might have had a change of heart about coming tae the bonfire-

-Lookingferyewerewewhenweheardyescream- Young McGuffin blurted out, it took a few seconds for Merida to understand what he meant.

-So, are ye coming or not? - Macintosh asked growing impatient.

Merida wasn´t happy of being addressed like that but she gave in, after all she didn´t want to remain in the castle alone all night with…whatever she had heard.

They began to walk, their steps making the small splashing sound Merida had been so concerned about.

-Wot were ye doing down here anyway? - Young Macintosh inquired as the continued traveling along the dark tunnels.

-Didn´t ye hear et? - Merida asked completely flabbergasted –A scream like that must have echoed all the way tae Stornoway!-

-Hear wot?-

-SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!-

All of them jumped a foot in the air, while Young Macintosh scrambled for the large Claymore strapped to his back.

The four of them pressed their backs against each other, forming a defensive circle.

-Wot on Ifrinn was that? - He asked brandishing his large sword. After seconds passed without another sound reaching their ears but their heavy gasps Merida whispered.

-Ae heard et when Ae was upstairs- she looked at each of them, all of them seemed scared and confused –That´s why Ae came down here-

-Ye planned tae go after whitever was making that sound? Are ye mad?-

The sound came again but they weren´t so startled this time, Merida listed, it seemed to be coming from barely a few feet away from them.

-This way- She said beginning to walk back the way they had come, towards the sound.

-Oh no ye don´t! - Macintosh said holding her back –Ye are coming with us princess-

Merida glared at him –Fancy a doin´?-

Of course he didn´t. his back was still in pain from a few minutes ago, he released Merida.

-Princess? - The enormous McGuffin boy said shyly rubbing the back of his neck –Whydon´tcomewithusdoye? Etdangerouscouldbe-

-Fine- The redhead stated giving large strides away from them; she was going to find out what was making that sound, with or without them.

She was further away every second –Come on- the Macintosh boy addressed his friends and all of them followed Merida.

When they caught up with her she had already stopped in front of a very large wooden door. The planks were plump and wet of so many years of neglected keeping.

The smallest trace of orange light came from the inside, how had they missed it the first time was a mystery.

Merida touched it and withdrew her fingers instantly, almost as if she had been burned.

She pushed the door, it creaked softly on its hinges and the orange light leaked out of the room into the corridor.

They looked inside and stared in awe at what they saw.

It was a girl, certainly older than Merida but younger than her mother. She was sitting on the floor, wearing rags that had once upon a time been white but now were a disgusting yellow color and was barefoot.

Her hair was black as ebony and reached down to her shoulders and her eyes were a deep brown, her skin was very pale and she was so beautiful that the young lords couldn´t do more than stare at her open-mouthed.

But that wasn´t what had really surprised them, it was the fact that she was chained.

Thick shackles surrounded her wrists and ankles and were connected to the walls with thick chains.

The girl looked up and opened her eyes wide before opening her mouth even wider –Pease! Help me! - She begged –Ye have tae free me from these chains! Please!-

The four entered the small room –Why are ye here? Who are ye? – Wee Dingwall asked kneeling next to her. Merida dared not give another step, the scream had obviously come from this room, from this…girl; if that´s what she really was.

-Ma name is Morag- she said holding back tears – Ae have been looked here since Ae was a little lass, please ye have tae get me out of here!-

-But why? - Wee Dingwall continued –Why were ye locked in here?-

-The king…- she said and whimpered loudly –He put me here under the most ridiculous of accusations! He…- she whimpered again, then she calmed down and began to explain –When Ae was just a wee lass strange things happened in the kingdom, men were found dead…and without blood, the king blamed me! He called me an evil spirit and ordered me tae be chained in this iron shackles until the day Ae die!-

Merida´s heart was thumping loudly; everything in her told her that this was wrong. Wee Dingwall produced a small dagger from his kilt and began working the locks.

-Stop! - The princess ordered. How could she explain this? –If she is here, there must be a reason…- she searched desperately for the right words –Wot if… if mae father is right? Ye…ye heard her scream!-

-Ae would tore my throat out too screaming for help if Ae were locked in here too- Wee Dingwall stated and continued working the locks, the first shackle went out with a –pop! - Three more remained.

Young Macintosh crossed his arms over his chest, thinking –Ae think Merida might be right, no matter how desperate Ae was…no creature alive could make that sound-

The second shackle around her ankle opened.

-Whit do ye say McGuffin? - Dingwall asked. The giant remained silent for a while; he had tried to avoid taking sides. The girl stopped crying to look at him pitifully.

-Aethinkhelphershouldwe- he finally said, Merida looked at him and he avoided her gaze.

Only one more shackle remained to be open and Merida couldn´t feel more nervous, her dream, what if they were unleashing something far worse than Mor´du?

-Don´t do et Dingwall! - Young Macintosh yelled but the blonde boy kept at his work.

She had to think, think! –Ae know! - She shouted in delight –Iron! Only iron can hurt evil spirits! But this! - She exclaimed taking the dagger from Dingwall´s hand. –Is copper, if she isn´t what A…wot we– she changed the word mid-sentence looking at young Macintosh –think her tae be, this will hurt her!-

She kneeled and grabbed the girl´s hand –Don´t worry, et will just be a little sting- She pricked at her index finger with the dagger and a thick red dot began to form around the wound. Merida was disappointed, had she been wrong?

She gave the dagger back and stepped back to wait, the final shackle opened and the girl stood up, taking a few clumsy steps towards them.

-Don´t worry- wee Dingwall comforted her –Everything will be alright now-

They stepped out of the room; suddenly an enormous cloud blocked the moonlight while a gush of wind turned out the torches, the darkness around them became total. None of them could see even an inch away from their noses. Just as quickly as it had come the cloud passed, a pale beam allowed them to half-see their way through the tunnel.

-Is everyone alright? - Merida asked. -Dingwall?-

-Ae am fine- he answered

-McGuffin?-

-Good-

-Macintosh?-

-Ae am well, for the moment- The moonlight coming in allowed Merida to see that his face was covered in drops of sweat and that he was breathing heavily.

-Wot´s wrong? And where is Morag? - Wee Dingwall asked, the girl was nowhere in sight.

-We need tae get out of here- Macintosh stated bluntly and began walking quickly, the others followed.

-Wot? Why?-

-Don´t ye see what ye´ve done?!- He yelled to wee Dingwall –That was no ordinary girl, she was a demon! A Baobhan Sith! And ye freed her! On All Hallows Evening!-

They kept walking towards the stairs that led back to the kitchen.

-That is nonsense- Dingwall defended himself –Merida´s test proved et, she must have simply gotten scared when everything when dark and ran upstairs-

Young Macintosh ignored him –Now she will hunt us down, one by one; like those stories father told me. Those demons always drink the blood of young handsome lads, like me, first!-

Merida rolled her eyes, even in a moment like this he couldn´t stop being so arrogant.

They finally reached the stairs, but there was no light coming from above.

-Wot happened tae the torches? - Merida asked, she really wasn´t expecting an answer.

-Ae don´t know- Young Macintosh turned around towards Merida, his back was facing the stairs –But we must remain together, we came in through the great hall so the door should be unlocked. All we need tae do is climb these stairs, cross the kitchen intae the hall and head outsi…-

He never finished the phrase; a pair of claws, white as chalk grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him up the stairs at an incredible speed.

-Macintosh!-

He yelled in fear and even as he was dragged he managed to say something -Wot did Ae told ye?!-

Merida, Dingwall and McGuffin followed, their legs burned from the effort of climbing the stairs but they weren´t fast enough, when they reached the top and stepped into the dark kitchen all they saw was a message carved into the stone wall in crude letters with an impossibly sharp object.

"Handsome lad goes first"


	5. Chapter 5

Merida became very tense, she had reasons to be. What if young Macintosh was dead?

-Macintosh! - She yelled into the darkness, longing to hear the voice that not five minutes ago had seemed so irksome.

-Macintosh! - She called again, this time to the stairs that led upstairs and again received no answer but her own fast heartbeat and the heavy breathing of her partners.

-We have tae find him! - She waved her hands around –Spread out and look everywhere! Before et is too late! - She took a few determined strides towards the ascending spiral staircase but young McGuffin held her arm tightly.

-Princess, nothingwecandothereis- his face showed fear but his face was full of determination.

-He´s right- We Dingwall added –Ae…Ae might have caused this…Ae don´t know- he looked down, unable to look at Merida in the eye –But Ae do know this, we won´t be able tae help anyone if we´re dead and if whatever took Artair gets us, death will be the least of our worries -

The princess calmed down, Wee Dingwall was right of course, they needed to get out and come back with help. She nodded and gulped waking towards the kitchen door; she pulled from the heavy metal rung but the door didn´t even move.

-Ae thought ye said this would be open? - She scowled.

-Dingwallwaslastoneinthe- Young McGuffin pointed at the blond, short boy who crossed his arms defensively.

-Ae propped the door open with a stick!-

Merida gave a step and felt something hit her foot and roll away; she crouched down to pick it up.

-This stick? - Merida waved the tiny piece of wood in her hand before tossing it aside.

-Try that one- she said pointing to the other door, which lead to the grounds. It had been locked when she first came in but they had to try.

Wee Dingwall pulled –Locked-

In a last ditch attempt Merida looked at Young McGuffin –Do ye think ye can break et doon? - After all if he could snap a log like it was a twig maybe he could do this.

Young McGuffin nodded and pushed Merida gently out of the way; he squatted slightly and ran shoulder-first towards the door.

It shook with a horrendous violence but the metal hinges kept it firmly in place. The McGuffin boy stepped back, clutching his shoulder in pain.

Merida shrugged – Nice try- she then looked at the staircase –Ae guess up et is then, we´ll find a way back down later- She took a few doubtful steps before picking up a pace, climbing one or steps at a time and keeping her ears sharp to make sure Wee Dingwall and Young McGuffin were right behind her.

They ascended the spiral staircase until they reached the upper level; bright torches burned bright in here, and even though her eyes were hurt by their light Merida was thankful for being able to see normally again.

She was back where she had started, a door to her left led to her room and the one to the right to the royal quarters. If they followed this corridor for a few dozen feet they would eventually reach the wide stairs that led down to the main hall.

-Follow me- she whispered, she didn´t knew why but she felt as if she raised her voice she would give away their position.

Both young lords nodded and followed Merida; while they walked they engaged in conversation.

-Wot do ye think will happen tae Artair? - Wee Dingwall asked her, but she didn´t answer; she was far too busy considering the fact that the young lords actually had first names.

It seemed kind of obvious now that they must have had them and Merida felt ashamed of not knowing them, they didn´t go around all day calling her Princess DunBroch or something of the sort all the time.

-Merida? - Wee Dingwall called to catch her attention, thinking she hadn´t heard him the first time –Is something wrong?-

-Nay…nothing- She replied –Et´s just that…Ae didn´t knew young Macintosh was called Artair- she explained –And for that matter Ae don´t know yer names either-

Wee Dingwall seemed confused but Young McGuffin smirked – Maenameis Duncan, princess- young McGuffin said as they kept walking –TaemeetyeAeamverypleased-

-Ae am Anndra- Wee Dingwall added –Et is my pleasure-

Merida had a sudden urge to smile but it disappeared when she saw what was ahead -Anndra, Duncan? Ae think we´re going tae need a new plan-

In front of them was an enormous makeshift barricade that blocked the corridor completely, furniture had been piled upwards to create an impregnable wall, no way through or over.

There was only a small crack through which Merida could see their target, it was so close!

She pulled away from the mountain of wood –We have tae move this! - She said beginning to push a particularly large cabinet out of the way –Help me!-

Anndra and Duncan obeyed, grabbing pieces of furniture and moving the aside. All of them were breathing heavily, Duncan and Merida began to sweat but their work was paying off. The wall was becoming smaller every minute and finally there was a gap at the top large enough for Merida to squeeze through.

-We´re almost there! - She called with a huge smile.

-SCREEEEEEEECH!- A white figure was floating towards them from the far end of the corridor, behind the barricade. The ghostly shade was too far away for them to distinguish anything more than its outline but the few torches that were still lit in the castle went out and remained that way whenever the thing came close to them, it gave the impression that darkness followed it.

-RUN! - Merida screamed as the figure came ever closer, bringing blackness with it. She climbed down the pile of furniture and sprinted back the way they´d came with the boys practically stepping over her heels. They couldn´t see the figure now but the darkness kept advancing, gaining on them, threatening to swallow them whole.

They stopped when they reached the staircase again, which way? Down was a dead end? Up? She looked at the doors at both sides of the corridor, only a pair of torches still burned, shining a pathetic light barely enough to cover perhaps five feet of the stone floor, around was pitch blackness.

-This way!- The princess yelled and lunged toward the door that lead to her room, all of them went in and Merida slammed the door shut as the last pair of torches burned out and the shadows engulfed the corridor outside.

At least Merida´s room was bright, an oasis of light in a desert of perpetual twilight. Her sword was still over her bed where she had left it but something else was there, something that didn´t belong.

-Morag? - Wee Dingwall asked astonished –Where have ye been?- The raven-haired girl was sitting with her face buried between her knees, she looked up, no longer crying but clearly afraid.

-Ae…Ae ran over here when the lights went out in the tunnel- she explained –A´m sairy Ae left ye, Ae was scared-

She then seemed to notice young Macintosh wasn´t there. –Where´s yer friend?-

All of them exchanged glances, not daring to answer.

Morag gulped –Et took him right, didn´t et? - Duncan nodded sadly.

-Then we need tae get out and wait fer dawn, et is our best hope-

-But how do we do that? - Wee Dingwall asked –We can´t try tae move the barricade again-

-The chimneys- Merida whispered –They run through the whole castle, they are big enough for us tae fit and the main one ends in the main hall, et even has a rope for when cleaning is needed, we can use et tae climb down-

Everyone remained quiet, Duncan and Morag were listening but Anndra seemed to be thinking heavily of something.

-We need tae go up, tae the tower- she continued –That´s the main smoke shaft-

Again Young McGuffin and Morag nodded but Dingwall didn´t even react.

-Anndra? Wot are ye doing? - The princess asked.

The boy gave a few steps and rested his back against the door, the one that lead back to the corridor.

-Something does not make sense Merida- he stated –We were attacked and Morag disappeared, we are attacked again and she just…appears here?-

-Coincidence- Duncan stated bluntly, stepping into the conversation.

-Ae don´t know Anndra, she was already here while we escaped…and the dagger hurt her- Merida said.

-Ae thought ye thought she was…- Wee Dingwall began, but was interrupted by Merida.

-Ae don´t know wot tae believe anymore-

Wee Dingwall sighed –So maybe et wasn´t her who attacked us a few minutes ago, but the tunnels…and the dagger- Suddenly his eyes grew very, very wide –The dagger!- he punched his outstretched palm with his fist in excitement –That´s et! That´s the answer!-

He stepped away from the door a second too late. Bony, white claws came in through the door, not breaking it but simply going through it as if it was thin air; the specter's body was still in the corridor but one of its hands covered Wee Dingwall's mouth while the other seized him by the chest and pulled him backwards.

-Anndra! - Young McGuffin ran and grabbed his friends arm, pulling for all he was worth. Merida and Morag tried to help too but inch by inch, his fingers began to slip. They lost their grip, his scream was muffled by the white claw but Duncan saw the look of terror on his friend´s face by a fraction of instant before he disappeared behind the door.

Young McGuffin opened the door as fast as he could but when he looked outside he found nothing but the dark, empty corridor.

He closed the door again, defeated and looked at the girls, who looked back with pity and horror.

-Ae don´t guess any of ye knew wot he was about tae say? - Morag asked.

Duncan and Merida could only shake their heads.


	6. Chapter 6

-Anndra…- Merida whispered, barely believing her eyes. That monster had already taken two of them; they needed to get out of the castle no matter what.

Merida took her sword from top of the bed and strapped it firmly to her waist; if they were attacked they would at least have something to defend themselves with. A thought suddenly crossed her mind, wasn´t it too much of a coincidence her father had given this present to her precisely today? She shook her head dismissing the idea.

-Let´s go- she called towards her friend and the girl she barely knew then walked towards the door and opened it slowly. It made a creaking sound that echoed in the darkness and emptiness of the castle.

She placed her left foot outside very carefully, almost expecting for something to leap out at her the moment her slipper touched the ground, but nothing came. She gave another step, and another but no ice-cold claws grabbed her.

-Ae think et´s safe, come- She gestured with her hand for them to follow, once they were all outside Morag gasped, placing one hand over her mouth and pointing at the wall with the other.

Young McGuffin followed her finger with his sight and seemed terribly taken aback, then Merida saw why.

There, written in the wall with bright red liquid was "Halfway done".

-Why just the half? - Merida asked –There´s five of us-

Duncan simply shrugged.

-Never mind- Merida said walking again towards the stairs that led upstairs towards the tower.

The spiral staircase continued upwards and they ascended, the air was chilly and made them shiver but at least the moonlight allowed them to see a little more.

The three of them advanced one step at a time towards the pale light coming down on them; Merida could almost see the top level, from where they would begin the descent that would hopefully lead them to the great hall and the exit.

And finally she saw the moon, bright and round in the sky seeming to shove every demon away; she stood on the stone floor and saw the wooden ladders that went down the several chimneys in the castle, with wooden scaffoldings every several feet for them to rest and change ladder in case they were headed to a different part of the castle.

If Merida remembered correctly they needed to descend two sets of ladders, then change to a third one to their left and climb down all the way.

-Et´s this way- she explained to Duncan – McGuffin? - She asked –Where´s Morag? - The girl had again seemingly disappeared into thin air, the young lord searched around himself and even looked back the spiraling staircase but he found nothing.

-Rightbehindmeshewas! - He exclaimed in frustration and fear. Had the Baobhan Sith taken her? It wasn´t likely, the last two times the demon had made its presence know, it had even left messages mocking them; now Morag had just vanished.

Merida gulped, she knew what she had to do but saying it was hard –We…we need tae go-

Duncan clenched his fists tightly, Merida was right but they had lost so many already, he nodded closing his eyes softly.

The princess stepped right next to the ladder and held it firmly with both hands –Ae ´ll go first Duncan, Ae don´t want ye spying under my skirts- she meant this as a joke, a desperate attempt to lighten the extremely heavy mood. Obviously the real reason was that she held the only weapon capable of hurting the creature if they were in danger but Young McGuffin blushed terribly.

-Come on- she said taking the next step of the ladder, placing carefully her foot, then her hand and repeating. The McGuffin boy grabbed the ladder too once Merida was far enough and began to climb down.

The ladder shook a bit under his weigh but didn´t collapse. When Merida reached the first scaffold she noticed something shone light over it, it was a torch.

She took it without wasting a second, thinking that light would somehow keep the creature away from them.

Duncan caught up with her a few seconds later –Duncan, can ye take this? Et is really hard tae see down here-

He nodded and took the torch in his massive hand; they walked towards the next ladder and began climbing down too.

Merida advanced first again, clearing the first few feet faster than the last time thanks to young McGuffin shining light over the rungs.

The chimney was growing narrower and Merida´s dress became dirty with ashes, that added to the foul water of the tunnels and her blood made the dress less than attractive; but of course she wasn´t thinking of that because in that moment the orange light coming from the torch that Duncan held went out.

-Duncan? - She called without looking up –Ae could use some light- Young McGuffin didn´t answer.

-Duncan? Is everything alright? - Finally she looked up and her eyes grew wide, there was no one coming down the ladder after herself. Young McGuffin was gone.

-No- she whispered and looked down, she clutched the ladder so tightly her palms became white, a small tear ran down her cheek. –No- she whispered again.

She bit her lower lip, trying to control herself. A small trail of blood began to flow from it but at least she was climbing down again.

Finally the floor became visible, it was barely a few feet away; she jumped from the ladder landing softly on the balls of her feet and looked around.

The long tables and the four thrones were familiar, she had reached the great hall; she had made it!

Even in that moment, with tears running down her cheeks, she smiled. She began walking towards the enormous gates, then jogging until finally she broke into a full run.

She pushed the gate expecting it to slide open easily as ever, it didn´t.

-Wot?!- No! It wasn´t possible! It had to be open! It had to! She pushed again, then pulled for all she was worth but the wooden gates didn´t budge and inch. She banged her fists against the wood in frustration and collapsed next to the door crying.

Then she stood up, she wouldn´t give up, she wouldn´t! Maybe one of the windows would be a possible escape route; she walked away from the gates trying to find anything that would help her reach a window.

She was perhaps thirty feet away from the doors that had seemed her best hope when she heard it.

-SCREEEEECH!- She looked up, the white figure was gliding slowly towards her and now that she looked at it for the first time she wished she hadn´t.

Her skin was wrinkled and dry, like paper and her eyes were wide and cruel with no eyelids over them. Dozens of sharp fangs grew from her mouth and her tongue was split in halve like that of a snake.

Her white dress was sprinkled with blood and in her hands grew ten incredibly long nails.

Merida didn´t know what to do, would she run? Where to? Could she fight? The decision was hard to make but what made it even harder was that even under that disfigured appearance she could identify...

–Morag?-

The demon smiled with acknowledgement and charged Merida, screeching at the top of its lungs.

Time was running short; the demon was closer each second, she had to act.

Then a miracle happened, the gates began to open ever so slowly; letting a trace of light come into the great hall.

A figure came in through the door too, barely distinguishable against the darkness and light.

-Merida? - The figure called in a voice she knew all too well. It was nothing short of astonishing, that in her moment of utmost need her mother had come to save her, even if it was by mere chance.

Merida sprinted towards the gates ignoring the demon behind her –Mom! - She called, tears of happiness rolling down her face. That´s when she noticed that the Baobhan Sith wasn´t pursuing her, it simply glided there, expecting something.

The princess didn´t care, she simply kept running towards her mother until she was a pair of feet away; then she stopped dead on her tracks, sliding a few inches over the floor because of the momentum, her face contorted in horror as a scream of terror tore made its way up her throat…


	7. Chapter 7

Merida fell backwards in pure shock, she knew the thing in front of her was her mother but at the same time she didn´t want it to be.

Because what she saw in the dim moonlight she could not describe; she saw her mother, the young woman a little bit taller than herself with long black hair tied up in two braids, she saw the emerald dress and the crown but she also saw something else.

A ghost with dry skin, claws and fangs…

They were the same form. She couldn´t really describe it, but she saw them at the same time. They shared the same spot in that room, but it was like looking at two separate dimensions, like two overlapping images. When she saw the queen she saw the ghost, and when she saw the ghost she saw her mother.

-M…mum? – She stuttered –Ye too?-

Queen Elinor didn´t answer, she just closed the door behind her to assure no one would come in or get out and then walked towards Merida.

The princess crawled backwards, away from her.

-Ye should have come tae the festival Merida- When it spoke Merida heard her mother´s voice, the one that had sung to her when she was little but in her head echoed another voice repeating the same words; the voice was deep as a well and gritty like sandpaper.

Both demons stood side by side, closing in towards Merida causing her to crawl further away from the exit and with every step they gave their appearance changed.

Slowly the fangs and claws receded giving way to hands and teeth, their skin became soft and their faces delicate and in a few seconds they were human again; even beautiful but that only made matters worse.

Merida breathed heavily, her sight jumping from Morag to her mother expecting them to jump on top of her and shred her to pieces.

-Why? - She finally asked between heavy gasps, it was the only coherent thought she could form into words.

-Well Merida- the demon that was her mother began –Ae think Ae already told ye that story, many years ago…-

The redhead´s eyes became even wider. Like Mor´du´s this story had turned out to be real! It was her mother´s own!

-Ye see we aren´t that evil – the specter-queen continued walking around her while Morag eyed her hungrily – Usually we would just kill a lad or two at most every year tae survive- she sighed –or at least that´s wot Ae intended tae do, mae sister ye see wasn´t quite happy with the agreement and ran around the kingdom feeding upon as many lads and lasses as she could find-

-Even wee bonnie babies! - Morag added with a perverted smile.

-Ae of course- Elinor continued – Couldn´t let her continue so Ae chained her in the tunnels with pure iron shackles and fed her when she required-

Everything made sense now! The dagger had hurt her because she was chained! That´s what Anndra had tried to tell them!

-Usually et is just a sick old lad or commoner, someone nobody will miss…-

Merida couldn´t believe her ears, how many years had they been doing this? How many people had died?

-Ae miss royal blood- Morag interrupted –we haven´t had any since we killed yer husband´s foolish brother, the poor fool never even knew et was us!-

The queen´s face suddenly transformed to her demonic face and screamed inches away from Morag´s face, obviously she had said more than was needed. Merida understood instantly, that´s why her father had seemed so scared when she mentioned the Baobhan Sith so many years ago.

Back to her normal appearance Elinor continued explaining –Everything would have remained like that Merida if not fer a little detail…-

-Ye- Morag finished.

-Indeed. Ye Merida…freed her and when she took the Macintosh boy Ae had tae act. Ae barely got there in time tae prevent her from feeding of him…-

A twinge of hope appeared in Merida´s heart, were her friends alive? Maybe her mother wasn´t really evil! With renewed courage she managed to talk.

-Why are ye telling me this? - Elinor didn´t seem to acknowledge her question.

-The young lords won´t tell anyone wot really happened here considering Ae just saved them from becoming dinner and even if they did no one would believe them, accusing their queen of being a ghost after she was turned intae a bear?- the queen smiled –Morag will return tae her cell and all this matter will be forgotten…-

Merida smiled, was it over?

-Alas that cannot be- she finished.

The princess became tense again –Wot do ye mean?-

-Well three boys making bold claims is nonsense but with the princess backing them up? Suspicions would arise eventually-

Merida began to understand, they would make sure she didn´t talk; one way or another.

-Ae won´t tell anyone! - She almost yelled crawling backwards again –Ae swear!-

Her mother didn´t even look at her, instead she turned towards Morag and nodded ever so slightly, the raven haired girl began to transform into her monstrous self.

–A´m sairy Merida, that is a risk Ae cannot take-

The transformation was complete and Morag was gliding slowly towards Merida.

-Don´t worry- she heard her mother say –Et is easier and faster than falling asleep-

-No! Please no! - Merida begged –Mum!-

-Mae sister will take the blame of course, and then she will leave the castle…-

Morag charged, jaws wide open; aiming for Merida´s neck. She had less than a second to react; everything seemed to slow down as Merida unsheathed her blade and sliced at the specters neck.

The ghost seemed surprised for an instant before its head and body fell in opposite directions with a soft –thud! - And then became ashes that floated away in a soft breeze.

The princess stood up clutching her sword defensively, she didn´t want to hurt her mother but what if she didn´t have any other choice?

Elinor stood mesmerized as her sister's ashes floated by her feet before looking at Merida enraged.

-Ye spoiled BRAT! - She yelled in the same deep, gritty voice that wasn´t her own.

She charged Merida transforming as she did. The redhead slashed at her mother´s face but the queen was too fast, she ducked the blow and the sword passed by leaving only a tiny cut on her left cheek.

Elinor stroke Merida in the chest, palm outstretched with a tremendous force that sent her flying backwards and caused her to drop her sword.

The princess collided against the opposite side of the room banging her head against the wall, the pain was terrible, she tried to get back up but her arms and legs were jelly; even her eyesight was beginning to fade.

As if through a grey veil she saw the monster that was her mother closing in, gliding towards her. She felt herself being picked up and saw the enormous fangs inches away from her neck.

It was the last thing she saw before darkness swallowed her whole…


	8. Chapter 8

Merida opened her eyes slowly, as the first rays of sunlight hit her closed eyelids.

She had a headache and her mouth was dry, her throat was sore and every muscle in her body seemed too heavy for her to move.

Still she forced herself to look around, she recognized the room instantly; it was her room, brightly lit by the sunlight. She was in bed, her bed, covered by warm sheets, her sheets. Her sword rested against the wall next to the bed and that made her uneasy, if the sword had been real then the rest had been too.

She looked under the sheets and noticed she was wearing her white nightgown; that only made her even more doubtful.

Had everything been a dream? No it couldn´t have been! It had been far too real, even more than her usual nightmares.

The last thing she remembered was…she took her hand towards her neck, trying to feel for anything unusual.

-Ae think puncture marks are far more than unusual- she thought.

She was suddenly taken away from her meditation by the sound of singing outside, it was a beautiful song in Gaelic as her lullaby had been but this one sounded even more ancient and sadder.

_ -…Dh'òlainn deoch ge b' oil le càch e_

_ De dh'fhuil do cridhe's …-_

She had never really paid attention to her Gaelic lessons and couldn´t understand what it meant but it didn´t matter because the voice that was singing, was that of her mother!

The song was coming even closer until finally it was coming from right outside her door, the wooden planks opened slowly and Merida slid her right hand down and out of the bed, letting her fingers caress the pommel of her weapon.

The queen came inside, at least she looked normal, but of course she did; she only assumed her true form in All Hallows Evening and during the night. Now it wasn´t neither of those things.

Elinor hadn´t seemed to notice Merida was awake until now –Ah Merida, ye finally woke up! Are ye alright?-

The princess didn´t answer, she wouldn´t trick her! She had probably expected to finish her off in her sleep.

"No" she thought "if she had wanted tae kill me she could have done et already"

Gulping and trying to ignore her sore throat the princess stood up and stuttered a few intelligible syllables –W…wot happened?-

Her mother sat down next to her, over the bed.

-Ae don´t blame ye fer not remembering _mo ghaol_- she said placing her palm over her forehead as if checking for a fever –Ye must have had some hideous nightmares last night-

Merida simply looked at her not saying a thing, inviting with her gaze at the queen to say more.

Elinor took a deep breath before beginning to talk –When we returned from the festival Ae found ye asleep on bed, with yer sword at yer side if Ae should add, so Ae simply undressed ye and tucked ye in-

Merida couldn´t believe it! Was she telling the truth?

-Then barely a few hours ago while the clans were preparing to leave ye started tae yell Merida, literally yell yer head off. Yer father and Ae both tried tae wake ye up but ye simply wouldn´t or couldn´t-

So dad had seen this? It wasn´t just her mother lying?

Almost as an answer to her question the door opened once more and in came the towering figure of the bear-king, he was rubbing his hands together as if he was getting dirt off them

-Well- he said, a wide grin crossing his face – they´re gone. Elinor that was the best All´allows´eening we´ve had in years! Too bad Merida missed et!-

Elinor tilted her head towards the princess to bring her to Fergus attention.

-Ah! – he exclaimed walking towards her–How´s my wee lassie! Ye really had us worried! Wot happened? - The king asked with a concerned expression.

Merida still couldn´t believe, so it had been just a bad dream? Nothing else? She sighed, accepting the overwhelming evidence –Nothing de, et was just a nightmare-

The second those words left her mouth she felt safer.

-Quite a nightmare it must have been…-

Silence fell on the room until the queen broke the silence.

-Well Ae think ye better get dressed Merida, _mo cridhe_-

Merida was about to jump out of bed and answer with an –Aye mum- when something inside her just…clicked.

The song her mother was singing, now she remembered; the song was an ancient lament written to a sailor by her loved one after he drowned. _Mo cridhe_ meant my love, my heart and the song, the verse she had heard her mother sing…

_ - …I would drink, though all would abhor it_

_ Of thy heart's blood…-_

Her heart stopped beating and she remained frozen in place.

It was a coincidence; she tried convincing herself, a coincidence and nothing more.

-Merida? - The queen asked –Is everything alright?-

The princess struggled to calm down and nodded slowly, everything was fine; it had been just a nightmare.

She got out of bed and dressed up in her favorite blue garments while her parents waited for her at the doorstep.

Once she was ready she walked towards them, ready to start another day of adventures with the bright sun as her guardian.

She was almost outside her room when she heard her father exclaim –Elinor! Wot happened tae yer face lass?-

Merida turned around instantly and saw it, on her mother´s left cheek; a bright red cut, long but not very deep.

She gasped; it took all of her willpower not to run away as fast as her legs could take her.

-Oh et is nothing- Elinor answered looking at her husband –Ye saw how Merida was struggling during her nightmare, she must have scratched me accidentally- then she looked at Merida, who gulped in fear

–Right Merida?-

**THE END**

_**So thats it! Not bad for my first horror fic right? Well tell me what you think! Reviews are much appreciated! And check out my other fics, most of them have to do with BRAVE!  
**_


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